Forgotten man reassured about his Pompey future as hunt continues for new No9
Pompey striker Thomas Waddingham has no need to feel anxious about his Pompey future amid talk of additional firepower being needed during the summer transfer window
Thomas Waddingham shouldn’t be dismayed by talk of Pompey looking to bring in a front-line striker to shake up their forward department in the summer.
The young Aussie striker has been told he can still expect to play a major role for the Blues next trm - if he can retain his fitness.
That’s the verdict that has been delivered by The News’ Jordan Cross, who insists the former Brisbane Roar frontman remains highly thought of at Fratton Park and will be utilised if he’s available for selection.
Pompey’s forward line came in for plenty of scrutiny last season as it contributed just five goals between them. Pompey were also crticised for their failure to bring in competition for Colby Bishop in January, with the former Accrington man scoring only one league goal before the transfer window closed.
Bishop ended the campaign with four goals in all competitions, with 2025 summer signing Makenzie Kirk scoring the only other goal among the Blues’ pool of recognised strikers.
In fairness to Waddingham, he was unable to really add to the strikers’ tally as he sat out seven months of the season with a thigh injury.
That limited him to just seven appearances in all competitions, with the striker donning the Pompey shirt just 11 times since his undlsclosed move from the A-League in January 2024.
Injury has undoubtedly blighted his 18 months at Fratton Park.
However, Cross believes the 21-year-old can play a significant role for Popey next season, irrespective of who the Blues bring in over the summer to bolster their firepower.
Waddingham could be ‘a lot closer to the first team’
Waddingham made a welcome comeback from his troublesome thigh issue in time for Pompey’s last two games of the season against Stoke and Birmingham respectively.
Speaking in the latest episode of Pompey Talk. Cross said: ‘With Tom, I'm really pleased to see him back. He's always a happy, smiley person around the place. He's had a difficult time with injuries issues at Pompey.
‘But he was, going into the season, very much the next in line behind Colby Bishop and (expected) to really push Colby more than a lot of people realise.
‘When Kirk came in I put him and Waddingham on a par. (But) in reality Pompey rate Waddingham a lot higher.
‘I think Kirk will be looking to go out on loan (next season) and Waddingham, you know, if they can keep him fit, then they would view him a lot closer to the first team.
‘That was kind of borne out by where he was at the start of last season. When you look at it, he was coming on in the early games, wasn't he? He played in the Carabao Cup match and was kind of right in there in the kind of big pre-season matches as they counted down to the start of the season.
‘But he's then got to erase the question marks over him.’
Plymouth’s Bim Pepple is among the strikers the Blues are considering this summer, with the Blues’ search also focused on potential targets currently playing abroad.
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